The Man Behind The Mask
by Courtnerrr
Summary: Chad has a secret, how long can he keep this secret from his friends? [Chapter3Up]
1. Trailer

**The Man Behind The Mask   
Trailer**

**Chad's Voiceover: Everyone always saw me as the sidekick.**  
"Come on Chad, we're going to be late!" Troy shouted, dragging Chad down the halls of East High.

"Pass it to me!" Chad exclaimed, running past Troy on the basketball court.

**Chad's Voiceover: That was because I was hiding something.**

"Why don't you invite your friends over?" Chad's mom, Madison, asked.

Chad's eyes quickly darted around the room, "No reason."

**Chad's Voiceover: It could be something big.**

A tall, angry, black man stood over Chad.

**Chad's Voiceover: Or it could be something small.**

Shot of Chad's extremely messy room.

**Chad's Voiceover: Only one other person knows.**

Jason looked at Chad, "You have to tell someone."

Chad quickly shook his head, "I can't!"

"Why?"

"You don't understand Jay..."

**Chad's Voiceover: If my friends find out, I know they'd help me.**

"Why didn't you tell us?" Troy asked.

"You know we're always here for you!" Zeke exclaimed.

Taylor looked like she was about to cry, "Chad... Why?"

**Chad's Voiceover: The Man Behind The Mask. Coming soon.**

_This is going to be my first Chad fic. Mainly Chaylor and Troyella. With hints of Zekepay and Jelsi._


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **_I own Chad's family. But I don't own Chad, or any of his friends._

**The Man Behind The Mask   
Chapter One**

Sometimes it was great that one of my closest friends lived next door, sometimes it wasn't. Today was one of the times that it was great.

That closest friend was Jason Cross. His house was my second home, his parents were my second parents, his siblings were my second siblings. Do you get it? The two of us met in the third grade, when he moved here from some unplottable town in Montana. Jason and I clicked instantly, I taught him how to play basketball, he taught me how to play chess. I helped him be a little more outrageous, he helped me be a little more cautious. We were exact opposites, but we balanced each other out.

Our other two best friends are Troy Bolton and Zeke Baylor. Troy was the captain of our varsity basketball team, all four of us were on that team, starting line-up. Zeke was our personal chef. It was kind of creepy at first, but we got used to it, and it's kind of cool now. I'll tell you more about them later.

Right now it was Jason and I sitting in his basement, playing Phase 10 as some show on Disney Channel blared in the background. Jason is the oldest out of six kids, soon to be seven. Brianna is 13, Kelly is 11, Patrick and Evan are 9, and Madison is 5. Madison and Evan were the ones watching Disney Channel.

"Playing this 5 on your run, and the 7 on my set. And discard." Jason said, smirking as he only had one card left in his hand, I had three.

"Thank god you aren't out yet." I replied.

Jason smirked, "On my next turn probably."

"Don't get cocky." I retorted, picking up a card. I looked at my hand, I had a six, a ten, and a nine. My set of 3 was of fours, and my run was 1, 2, 3, 4. And Jason added a five to that. Jason's set was of eights, and his run was 6, 7, 8, 9. I had just drew a 5.

"Playing the six on my run." I said, laying the six next to the four, "Ten and five on either end of your run." I added, setting down the ten and five. "Then I discard." I laid the nine on the discard pile face down, "And I'm out."

"Five points."

"Zero." I added, smirking as I wrote down our scores.

Jason sighed, "And you were going to get mad at me for--,"

"KELLY!" That was Brianna.

Jason sighed, "And the drama queen strikes again."

"Game over?"

"Until I break them up." Jason replied, "Watch Maddie and Ev?" He asked, standing up and heading towards the stairs. I nodded, looking over at the two younger Cross children.

Maddie climbed into my lap, "Hi Chad."

I smiled at the little girl, her blue eyes shining in the dim basement light, "Hey kid."

"Damnit Brianna!" I heard Jason yell. Jason never yelled, Brianna must have really pissed him off. Which isn't easilly done.

Once Jason came back down the stairs he sighed, collapsing on the floor in front of me, "Have some more kids Mom!" He exclaimed, obviously exasperated.

I laughed, "They aren't all bad Jay."

"You have an older sister and an older brother. I have five younger siblings and another on the way."

"So?"

Jason sighed again, "Apparently Kelly stole Brianna's something or other. I wasn't really paying attention,"

I shook my head, "Jason, you're the best big brother in the whole world."

He laughed, "I know."

I kicked him lightly in the side, "Come on, get up."

He sighed, merely rolling over, "I don't wanna."

I whispered to Maddie, "Go get Jason up." She smiled, jumping from my lap onto her brother's back.

I was in hysterics as Jason sighed, "Real nice Chad." I smiled, "I know."

"What time is it?" Jason asked, looking up at me.

"Um..." I looked at my cell phone, "Four thirty."

"Hopefully my parents will be home soon." Jason replied, "I'm sick of being Daddy Jason."

"But you're so good at it." I teased.

Jason flicked me off, "Fuck you."

"Now, now Jayjay. Watch your language."

He looked at the little girl on his back, "You didn't hear that."

"For a price."

"Smart kid."

"Shut up Chad." Jason snapped, before looking at his sister, "What do you want?"

She put her hand to her chin, pondering his question, "You have to play with me whenever I say. And no protesting."

Jason sighed, "Fine."

I laughed, "I say again, smart kid."

Jason glared at me. "Shut up. I say again."

I looked at him, opening my mouth to say something when my phone rang.

"Who is it?" Jason asked.

I looked at the screen, "Who is it always?"

"I'd answer it."

"But..."

"Would you rather piss him off?"

"Good point," I muttered, answering the phone, "Hello?"

**Okay, there's chapter one. How do you like it?**

**Thanks to ChaylorFnficPrincess, imjustagirl0077, and sccrchic1432 for reviewing.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own Chad's family. But I don't own Chad, or any of his friends.**

**The Man Behind The Mask   
Chapter Two**

"Where the hell are you?" The lovely man on the other end snarled.

"I'm at Jason's..."

"And who said you could go there!" Slurred words.

"M-m-mom." Studdering.

"Get your worthless ass over here now!" Click.

I sighed, shutting my phone. I looked at Jason, "He's drunk."

Jason winced, "Great."

"Isn't it?" I stood up, "I have to go... Unfortunately."

"Call me?"

"I'll try." I walked up the basement stairs, heading for the front door. I opened the front door and left. I took a deep breath as I turned to the left and walked to my house. I passed the fence connecting our houses, and turned into my driveway, running up to the front door, opening it.

I walked through the entrance, through the kitchen, and when I stepped into the living room, I was stopped. "Chad Nicholas Danforth, get your ass over here. Now." I winced. That was Gregory Danforth, a.k.a. Daddy Dearest.

I, of course, obeyed and walked over, "Yes?"

His eyes narrowed into slits, and he stood up from his chair, and I winced. "I haven't even touched you." He snarled. He stepped closer to me, "And what have I told you about leaving this house without my permission?"

My throat suddenly dried up, I couldn't find the words I wanted.

He pushed me into the wall, "Well?" He snapped.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, "You... You said... Everything has to be run by..." I coughed, "You."

Next thing I knew, I was on the ground, "That's right boy." He growled, "I own you. Until you're 18, you're mine."

Two years to go then. I was 16. "Yes sir." I choked.

"Get in your room." He growled, throwing me on the stairs.

I quickly pulled myself up off the ground and bolted up the rest of the stairs, running down the hall to the last room on the right. My sanctuary. I locked the door and pulled out my cell phone, calling Jason.

"Lo?"

"Jay?"

"Chad?"

"Yeah, it's me." I said, my eyes constantly darting to the door.

"How'd it go?"

"How do you think?"

"How bad?"

I sighed, "Better than usual, but still pretty damn shitty."

I heard a loud crash on his end, "Damn!" He hissed.

"What'd you do?"

"Patrick just dropped a fucking lamp on my foot." He growled, "I'll call you later."

"Bye Jay."

"Bye Chad."

I was pacing around my room, thinking about how to get away from my father, when my phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Hey Chad! What's up?" It was Troy.

"Nothing really, just hanging out." I said, "I just got back from Jason's."

"You want to come play basketball with me at my house tonight? Maybe stay for dinner? Mom told me she misses you."

"Yeah," I said, nodding, "I'll be there."

"Shouldn't you ask your dad or mom or something first?"

"My dad'll be fine with it." Lie. "Let me just go run it by him and I'll be over." Lie.

"Alright, see you in 10?" Clueless.

"Twenty tops."

"Bye Chad."

"Bye Troy." Click. I looked over at my door quickly, before walking over to my window, opening it, and looking down. "Yeah... That's not going to work." I sighed, I climbed out, sitting on the window sill, my duffel bag for basketball on my arm, I tossed the bag onto the ground. Luckily, nothing was fragile. I then stood on the window sill, attempting to jump to the tree outside my window.

I made it.

Barely.

Now, I was hanging from a tree outside my window, I pulled myself onto the branch, and began climbing down. Once I reached the ground, I heard loud noises from inside my house. "What the hell was that!"

Shit. I grabbed my bag and bolted into the bushes that were against the fence connecting my house to Jason's.

I saw my dad standing at the living room window, sticking his head out and looking around, "Damn Cross kids." He snarled, "I swear, those people need to learn to control their own children before they have more."

I heard him mutter something about Jason as I bolted down the street.

Fifteen minutes later, I was on Troy's doorstep, before I even knocked, Coach Bolton opened it, "Chad! It's been forever!"

"A day, Coach." I replied, readjusting the bag on my arm.

He looked at me, "Troy's upstairs."

I nodded, "Okay." He stood to the side and I walked up to Troy's room, opening the door it revealed a sea of red and white, "What are you doing?"

Troy looked up from the red and white mess, a red streamer falling into his face, "Dad's making me do stuff for our party next week, for the whole winning thing."

"Do you realize you have a red streamer in your face?"

He pulled it down, "I hate this fu--, stupid thing."

I laughed at Troy, "That was close."

"Leanne and Emma are right down the hall." His sisters, Leanne was 13, and Emma was 12. "And they'd tell Dad, and I'd get grounded."

I set my back down, and sat on the floor across from him, "Grounded, aye?" I asked, "Troy Bolton: Locked in his room because his sister's caught him swearing at age 16! What a headline that would be."

He smacked me lightly, and I held back a wince, "Oh yes, when I'm in the NBA."

"Which will be within the next six or seven years?"

"After college."

"Of course."

**Thanks to Corbin4eva, ChaylorFnFicPrincess (Love your romance challenge, and the story Walk Me Home.), RIP MuM i love you so much, imjustagirl0077 (I had the game in my head...), VUWildcat, lexicuti4eva, Mocha Addict, Rhetoric, CSIMel, and Dracoisalooker76 (Let's just say... I love practically all your stories. Specially the Mack & Tip ones.)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own Chad's family. But I don't own Chad, or any of his friends.

**The Man Behind The Mask  
Chapter Three**

Basketball, dinner with the Boltons, and helping Troy set up for the party. That was what my evening had been.

Pain, bedrooms, and grounded. That was what my night had been.

I often wish I had been born into a different family, the families of any of my friends would've been fine. Like Troy's family, for example. He had his two younger sisters, his basketball playing father, and his mother. Sure, Leanne and Emma were extremely annoying, but Troy would still take a bullet for them.

And then there's Jason's family. Mr. and Mrs. Cross, they prefer to be called Alex and Samantha, are stuck in the past, and let Jason and his siblings get away with anything. He may have at least a thousand siblings, but they're all close, and there's never a dull moment with the Cross family.

Zeke's family, it's just Zeke, his dad, and his younger brother. His mom died when we were in sixth grade. She had cancer, she had since she was 15 years old, it had gone away, but it came back, and her body wouldn't fight it, and treatment was only making it worse.

Even though Troy, Zeke, and Jason's families all have their issues, they get along with their parents and siblings. I don't have that kind of luck. I get along with my mom, and my older sister Brenna, 19. But my father and older brother Devon, 22, hate me. My father hits me, and my brother does too, luckily he's in college, but this is his last year, and knowing him, he'll probably move back in once he graduates.

I don't know why they hate me so much, or what I did to make them hate me. Sure, I don't get perfect grades like Brenna, and I don't play football like Devon. But I try my hardest, and my "build", as Coach Bolton says, is perfect for basketball, and I'd get my back broken if I played football. Of course, I've almost gotten my back broken because of basketball too.

I held half of my phone in my hand, my father had smashed it.

Here's how it went…

When I got home from Troy's I slipped into the side door, into the kitchen. That's where he was, sipping his vodka. "Chad, where have you been?"

"Troy's." I said quietly.

"What was that?"

"I was at Troy's house." I said, before realizing what he wanted me to say, "Sir."

A twisted smile appeared on his face, and I swallowed a lump in my throat, stepping back.

But that was a mistake, because every step I took back, he took two steps forward. And before I knew it, he had grabbed my arm. "Dad… Father… Sir… Please…." I tried to pull away, "Let go."

With every word I spoke, his grip got tighter. I bit my lip, and he threw me into the counter, my head hitting the drawer handle. Luckily my hair held back some of the pain. It didn't stop all of it though, I winced, and he pulled me up by my hair.

He glared at me, "No one," Smack. "Knew," Smack. "Where," Smack. "You," Smack. "Were." Thrown to the floor.

I was shaking now. "Please… stop…"

"Too much for you?" He growled, pulling me up by the hair again, and then smacked me across the face, "You're grounded." He snarled. "Until I say otherwise."

I couldn't speak. He threw me out of the room, and I heard something break.

I had landed on my lifeline. My cell phone. My flip phone had snapped in half, and I was now without phone.

Which leads me to where I am now. A rock hit my window, and I opened it, "Who the…" I looked down, Jason stood beneath my window.

"You okay?"

"No."

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow." I said, looking down at Jason.

"Your driveway at 7 to start walking?"

"As always."

"See you then." And he hopped over the fence back to his house.

It's all really messed up. I don't even know why he hates me so much. He seemed to always hate me, but he never physically showed it until I was nine.

_I was on my way home from Jason's house. I didn't know who would be home, Brenna was twelve and Devon was fifteen. Since it was a Saturday, I assumed that my father would've been at Devon's football game, he was a sophomore on starting varsity. I didn't know what the big deal was._

_I remember Brenna sitting on the porch, crying. "What's wrong?" I asked, sitting next to her._

"_Go back to Jason's." She said, looking up at me, "Just go Chad."_

"_Brenna…"_

"_Chad, please. You shouldn't have to deal with this. You're only nine."_

_I blinked, "Deal with what?"_

"_It's nothing Chad…" There was a loud crash from inside the house, and her tears fell faster._

"_What's happening in there?"_

"_Damnit Chad!" She exclaimed, "Don't worry about it."_

"_You're crying. It has to be something."_

_She grabbed my hand, "Chad, the only thing that could make me feel better, would be if you went back to Jason's. I don't want to see you deal with this."_

"_Just tell me what's happening."_

_She opened her mouth to say something, when the front door flew open. Our father stood there, anger obvious in his eyes. "You." He growled, pointing a fat finger at me. "Get in here. Now."_

_I had never seen my father this angry before, and I was afraid. I stood, trying to get back to Jason's._

_Bad idea. He growled, and grabbed me by the back of my shirt, "Chad Nicholas Danforth," He snarled, pulling me into the house. "I'm sick and fucking tired of you sneaking out without my permission." He smacked me._

_My brother walked into the room then, watching._

_I whimpered, that may sound pathetic, but it was a hard smack, I was already on the verge of tears because of my sister, and my brother was watching me getting hit, while…_

_Smirking._

_My older brother was smirking while I got hurt. Just seeing him smirking at me, cued the tears that I'd been holding back. I knew he hated me, but I didn't know it was this bad. I wanted nothing more than to run away. I wanted to run next door, to Jason's. But as I thought about it, I wanted to run further. I just wanted to run until I couldn't run anymore._

_My thoughts were interrupted when he threw me into my brother, "Devon, get him out of my sight."_

"_Yes sir." And then my dad walked into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Devon. The smirker. He looked down at me, "Pathetic."_

_I bit my lip, my brother smacking me now, "Poor Chaddy can't handle a little pain?"_

"_Stop."_

_He smacked me harder. "Don't tell me to stop." He growled._

_I looked away. Pain flowing through me, both physical and emotional._

My mother walked into my room, as I stood there at the open window, "Chad?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry about your father."

I turned, looking at her, "It's not your fault Mom."

She walked over to me, "You know you can talk to me about all this, right?"

"I know." But I knew there was nothing she could do. If she tried to stop him, he'd just add her to his list of conquest. He had already dominated Brenna and I.

"Your sister is coming home this weekend."

"What's the occasion?" I asked.

She shrugged, "Brenna called and told me to tell you to hang in there she'd be here Friday." She looked at me, "Do you have a test or something that she's going to help you study for."

"Yeah," I lied, I love my mom, but she was kind of slow at times, "Big one."

* * *

Thanks to **CassieLovesRyne, ChaylorFnficPrincess** (_Yes I did, and reviewed_.), **HSM-FREAK-x, imjustagirl0077, Corbin4eva,****dcsprousegirl- **(_That's okay, you can add it to alerts, can't you?_) and **Dracoisalooker76** (_I see the abusive Mr. Bolton ones all the time, but in the movie Troy & Jack seemed a little too close for that. But that could just be me...)_


End file.
